New Player
by 369destroyer
Summary: This story is getting a reboot. I feel that it can be much better, especially at the beginning. The story may change slightly. But even though this story is over please review honestly so I can improve any things wrong with this story I have missed before. To my few followers I apologize but I promise the new one will be far improved. Thank you.
1. Prologue

Just another day of waiting, just another day of hoping my brother, Heihachi, will wake up. It has been a year since he put on the nerve gear and still no sign of him moving, but at least he's still alive. It was my 15th birthday, the day SAO was released, and then I decided to let him play first, since I had a few other games I wanted to play. I was responsible for him being trapped there, fighting for his life. I wish I had just played the game myself, he has a life to live. Because of this game he missed his chance to graduate, hopefully he can still try doing it once he wakes up. I have come here every day to check on him along with my parents. Now here I am, on my 16th birthday, just wondering how much longer it would take for him to get out.

"Honey, it's time to go back home," My mom said with her hand on my shoulder

"Right" I said, then I got up and left with her and my twin sister, Hikari.

When we got home I started celebrating my birthday with a bunch of friends from school, afterall, while I felt guilty I'm pretty sure he didn't want me brooding about him either, and that cake and presents were a great way to cheer me up. Everybody there knew about my situation so I was fortunate to have their support, if not for them I would probably become quite the depressing guy. Hikari and I both went to bed after everybody left since we still had school in the morning. However, next morning had a change of plans in store. My mom woke us up early with a freaked out expression on her face. just from that I knew what had to have happened, Heihachi was gone. I immediately ran past her, despite her pleading me to stop. I got on my bike and rode to the hospital just to see if it was true, I ran up to the front desk.

"I am looking for the room of Himari Heihachi!" I yelled, though I was out of breath. The nurse at the front desk looked down and lead me to the room, there I saw him, not breathing, no pulse, being ready to be taken to the morgue. I just broke into tears upon seeing this, just thinking that I had lost my brother was the worst moment of my life as of that point. I blamed myself for his death, just thinking over and over "if only it was me" and "He did not deserve this." I looked over at the bed my brother was one before, nerve gear detached, then I remembered, the one responsible for this mess, it was the one who made that thing, Akihiko Kayaba, the vile man who took so many lives away for some unknown purpose. He vanished someplace so the only explanation was that he was somewhere in that world he made, and then, after the doctors left, I had a stupid idea. I picked up the nerve gear and put it on, I planned to go in and avenge my brother by taking down Kayaba on his turf. I didn't think about whether or not he was vulnerable or if he was a spectator, I was so upset none of that mattered to me at the moment. I went in, and typed in the username I planned on using when I first got the game, Ansei, and entered the world of the game.


	2. Self tutorial

So, Here I am. Stuck in this game all because I let my emotions get ahead of me. I feel like I already regret this. My parents are probably furious now. If I get out alive they might just kill me themselves. But now that I am here, I might as well do what I came here to do, teach Kayaba not to mess with other people's lives. But I can't do that now, my level so so damn low. Being a brand new player it would take a while till I am able to do anything here. But first things first, I need to pick out a weapon. In other RPG's I tend to be well varied with my weapons, jack of all trade, master of none. But in this, I don't think I have time for that, so I gotta pick something and stick with it, but what weapon should I go with. An axe, a sword, a lance, were there bows in this game? I have always been kinda indecisive in these kinds of situations. In the end I went with the lance. I just felt that it was simple to get used to, and could be deadly once I mastered it. I was gonna try getting a party together, but then I thought everybody was already in a guild or something, so for now I was alone. So I went into the fields to level grind. I learned the game as I went, learned how to activate skills fairly quick. I killed a ton of boars and by the end of the day I was level 10, not bad, but still a ways to go. I went back into the town called The Town of Beginnings (How original) to rest, but I was confronted by a group of men wearing matching armor.

"Hey!" the guy in front said, "I don't remember seeing you around here, so let me lay this on you, here there is a tax to pay, just give us your money and nobody needs to get hurt"

"Well then, is that so," I said, "Well here you go, all the money you deserve"

As I said this I help out my empty hand, then I just walked past them knowing that in towns they cannot kill me. I went and payed for a hotel and slept. The next morning, I come outside and more of them are waiting for me. All of them trying to intimidate me into paying the tax, what bull. These players were a bunch of asses so I went back inside and jumped out the back window and left town, saying to myself that as soon as I am level twenty I am going to floor two. Surly there I could be in peace. I went and grinded some more, fighting new enemies like wolves. This was getting really dull for me, just killing the weakest the game had to offer, but it was a necessity to complete my goal here. But on the bright side I was getting the hang of my Lance, racking up some decent combos with it. Though I knew that I needed more, I needed to buy some armor soon, these default clothes could only last me so long. Not to mention I needed to get healing items, like potions or whatever this game had for that purpose. I was probably the ONLY noob in this whole game now, nobody would team up with me till I figured all of this out. But as I thought about this I just beat the last boar I needed to reach level twenty, I felt ready to move on to floor two, see what more this game had to offer, learn more about how to play, and progressively get better and better. Maybe soon I can get some people to help me with my goal, maybe I might find my brother's friends while he was alive, maybe even his guild. But I was getting ahead of myself, now I just need to get stronger.


	3. First Ally

Been a month since I entered this game, just grinded the whole time, but no guilds accept me yet. I haven't found anybody my brother knew either. I didn't get it, I was leveling up so quickly, last check I was level 51. Yeah since there are not to many people hunting on the lower floors I had a lot to myself, so it was easy, but now more and more are hunting too, so progress has slowed down a lot. I guess the only thing I could do is keep going and hope I can eventually make some allies in this world, I hate playing alone like this. Somebody suggested the army, but when I found out they were the ones who tried to get "tax" from me, I just left before they saw me. All that armor I couldn't tell them apart at times either. So I am on floor 47 now, nice enough place, relaxing in town is easy and there are more people here than on previous floors. I am not sure if I am ready to move up to other floors, but I think I'm doing well enough. The only thing that bothers me is that there are couples everywhere, kinda annoying being the only one there not in a relationship but what are you gonna do. The front lines of the game were still a few floors up, by the time I get there I think I'll have some friends in this game. Maybe all my focus on training hasn't given me much time to socialize so I guess it's more my fault I am alone. I decided to go hunting later that night when fewer players were there hogging kills. I went into an empty field and started fighting plant monsters, easy enough to beat. But then I saw somebody else there fighting. This guy wielded a Mace and was decimating plants. He was a tall man in thick armor. He had darker skin and his silver armor had red highlights all over it. My competitive spirit kicked in and I started killing monsters faster to try getting more kills then him. Then I noticed he was doing the same thing as me, probably for the same reason. I liked this guy, a tall dark-skinned fellow who looked the same age as me. After about ten minutes all the monsters were gone for now.

"So," I said to the mystery player, "How many did you get?"

"42," he responded, "What about you?"

"Only 39, so close, so who are you?" I asked.

"I am Hito," He answered, "And you?"

"Ansei, gotta say your good with that mace, the best I've seen, though then again, I hardly ever see mace users in any RPGs." I said, curious about his choice.

"Why do you think I picked it, had to be more original, right, what about you with that lance, not many people do much with them then poke to keep monsters at a distance."

"The weapon is easy to use, but it would be dull not to try going for its full potential."

Both of us had weapons that are not seen much in this game, everybody else has swords of some kind, from rapiers to claymores. It's to be expected since the most popular weapon in fantasy stories is the blade, but personally I find it kinda overrated. I liked this guy so me and him traveled to the previous floor. We WERE gonna stay on floor 47, but we didn't want any weird assumptions made about us. I payed for the food at a local restaurant run by an NPC. We just chatted for a while and it turns out he just left his guild, The Knights of the Blood Oath, because some members made him feel uncomfortable, specifically a guy named Kuradeel. I told him my story.

"You actually went into this cursed came intentionally, fully aware of it trapping people and how dangerous it is, you must be insane." Hito responded.

"Well what can I say, I was pissed that my brother was killed, and I plan to get payback." I responded, trying to hold back my rage.

"I like you man, that takes guts," He said with a smile, "Hey I got an idea, how about you and I start-up a new guild, me and you are both tough and there are plenty of other players looking for a party in these upper floors, maybe we can recruit a few of them, sure we may not be as powerful as my old guild, but we might get pretty damn close by the hundredth floor, what do you say?"

"Sounds interesting, I said, "No guilds accept me for some reason, so might as well start-up our own, how about you and I have a dual to see who the leader should be.

"Right after we finish eating?" Asked Hito

"Yeah why not!" I said excitedly, I wanted to see just what this guy could do.

Right after the meal him and I went outside and set up out duel, set it to first hit, then as soon as the countdown ended we charges at one another. I dodges his first blow then he blocked mine. We just kept exchanging blows like this for what felt like hours, and it felt so satisfying when I finally got a hit. I deflected his mace leaving him wide open and got a direct hit on him in the chest. I won the dual and leadership of our guild. Then we needed a name though, since I was leader I got to pick. I eventually called the guild The Rising Angels.


	4. The Party Grows

With the Rising Angels guild formed with only 2 members, we were not exactly as recognizable as the army or Knights of the Blood Oath. But I had a dream that we would join the final battle against what I can only guess is either Kayaba's greatest creation, or Kayaba himself, either way I was not planning to miss out on that fight. Hito Decided that we advertise that our guild was recruiting, which I thought about, it felt uncomfortable doing something like that, sounded kinda desperate to me, though it could just be my pride getting to me.

"Sorry man," I told Hito, "Just advertising like that would make me a bit uncomfortable, how about every time we see a solo player we fight nearby then see if we can recruit them."

"Well I don't know," He replied worriedly, "A lot of solo players are Beaters, like that Black Swordsman I heard about, a beta tester who supposedly made it to the 20th floor or something."

"I think that might be an over exaggeration," I said, "And besides, if somebody WAS that powerful having him as an ally would be awesome."

"You don't understand man," He said clenching his fist. "Most of the time those people are bad news. They selfishly took all the good hunting spots just for their own survival, that is all they care for, themselves."

"Have you ever met one Hito?" I asked

"W-Well, no," he replied, "I've seen one but never talked to him..."

"Well then how do you know they are true?" I asked, "After all that is but one side of the story, and it might be flat-out wrong. If I meet a beater I want to hear his side of the story before making any judgements, after all they might not all be solo by choice, but made into outcasts by prejudice."

"Wow, never really thought of it that way," Hito said looking down, "But remember that they might be true as well, so I am not giving them my trust so willingly."

"Noted," I said, "So for now lets just set up 3 people by looking for recruits my way, then go by a vote how to proceed from there, deal?

"Deal," Said Hito, and we then went out to look for out potential recruits. We only needed three, so how long could it take right? Well no need to say it took a while to even find one, a couple of weeks or so I think. We were training on floor 46 as usual when we saw a girl fighting nearby alone. She had pink hair and was fighting with a strange-looking two-handed blade. She had a purple theme in her equipment, dark purples that were almost black making up a lot of her clothing. Her eyes looked like an orange color from where I was standing, and I was not aware eye colors were customizable in any way. She was doing very well and, I'll admit, I kinda developed a bit of a crush on her. She was taking down some pretty high level monsters without taking any damage in return. Hito seemed a bit wary of her though.

"Something is off about her," He said, "I mean really off."

"What do you mean?" I asked.

"Look," Hito said pointing, "I don't see an Icon over her head."

I looked and saw that, however I put it off as just a glitch in the game or something. I just waltzed over to her and decided to try asking her about it. She was obviously not like any NPC I've met, so I just tried talking casually to her.

"H-Hi there," I said nervously, "I'm Ansei and this is Hito, What's your name?"

"Strea," She said, "Why do you ask?"

"W-well you see," I said, trying to keep calm, "We were wondering if you wanted to join our guild."

"Join your guild?" She asked, obviously confused, "What do you mean?"

"Uh, I mean join our group," I said trying to explain it to her, "We are called the Rising Angels, though it is just the two of us for now, and we are looking for players who are powerful."

"Join you?" She said, "Even though we just met right now?"

"I-I guess," I said, "B-but we need somebody as strong as you in our group."

"Well," She said as she turned away to think about it, "Sure why not, got nothing else to do."

"Great!" I said surprised, "Welcome aboard, but um...can you answer a small question for us?"

"Uh maybe," She said, "I'll answer if I am able."

"Why is it you lack an icon over your head?" I asked hoping she knew.

"Oh um, she said, "Glitch I think? I don't know anything else I can say to explain that"

"Oh OK," I said, "That's what I thought."

Hito looked a bit miffed after that, but decided to let her join, though he would keep an eye on her. We added her to the guild though her name had a lot of numbers in it. Well I guess somebody in the world would put numbers in their username, kinda surprised how few I met that did. So our guild had 3 people, and we needed 2 more to fully vote on how to gain members in the future. I am hoping for maybe an axe wielder or a dagger user, something we do not already have. But all in due time I guess, can't rush these things. The three of us started training together to learn ways to fight together that would help us in the future.


	5. Kayaba, 1st encounter

After a couple days we still haven't found any more guild members. But we did try getting to know one another. Strea however doesn't talk to us much for some reason, and Hito is very suspicious of her because of it. They started to get on each others nerves with him trying to pry her for information and her not telling him anything. Just 2 days and it seems they already hate each other. Today though I finally had enough and I went to talk with them about it.

"Oh come on, why are you being so secretive huh?!" Yelled Hito infuriatingly

"Why do you keep getting into my business?! I do not NEED to tell you anything you know?!" Strea yelled back, I went to speak up but the arguing continued.

"Oh yeah you do," Hito said, "We are a guild now, and I would rather know who I am working with, don't want a PKer to trick me, or worse a Beater!"

"I don't even know what the hell those are!" Yelled Strea

"Oh bullcrap," Said Hito, "If your in this game you know what those are,"

"Uh guys," I said trying to stay calm, "Can you please..."

"How do you know?!" Strea interrupted seeming not to notice I was talking.

"Your right I don't," Hito said, "Maybe if you TALKED about it we would understand!"

"No you would not!" yelled Strea.

"WILL YOU GUYS BOTH JUST BE QUIET!" I screamed finally losing my temper, "I am SICK of you guys arguing all the time, I mean SERIOUSLY, it gets on my nerves! Hito you need to back off, you are trying TO hard, and Strea it would be REALLY nice if you opened up to us more. But the way your both being so STUBBORN is not doing a thing to help us get along!"

Both Strea and Hito were shocked by this, up till now I never lost my temper like that, and I do so really rarely, but once I am pushed to far I just lose it. They were both totally speechless just staring at me. I was actually panting after that freakout. All I can say is that they needed that. I just walked away after that, I needed to be alone to calm down. I walked outside when suddenly the whole world seemed to freeze around me. Everybody seemed frozen in place for some reason. Then suddenly...

"Hello there, Ansei"

I looked to the voice wondering just who said that. but I saw nobody. I took a couple steps back and tried to go back inside, but the door wouldn't open. I was feeling terrified right now. Whatever was going on was not something I have encountered in this game before. Then suddenly I saw a man in a red robe.

"W-who are you?" I asked the strange man

"I am the ruler of this world, the god in a way," He responded, "I am Akihiko Kayaba."

Suddenly I lost myself again, I charged at him to try and stab him only to be clocked by nothing, then a notification saying "Immortal Object." Freaking cheap as hell.

"I see you have met Strea," Said Kayaba "How unfortunate for you."

"What do you know about her?!" I said, given yet another reason to hate this man.

"More then she does I'll tell you that," Kayaba said, "She doesn't know a thing about herself."

"Stop playing games Kayaba," I said, "And get to your damn point."

"Your impatient aren't you," Said Kayaba, "If only I had time, this time freeze won't hold everybody forever, and I do not wish to be found out, but let me tell you this, boy, you are the only one who entered this game after the first day, I commend your bravery, but if you keep staying with her you will regret it."

"Like I should believe a word you say," I responded. And with that Kayaba vanished and time resumed. The door opened behind me hitting me in the back and knocking me down.

"Oh I am so sorry," Said Strea

"You alright Ansei?" Asked Hito

"Yeah," I said as I got to my feet, "But that sure was a shock, glad we don't feel much in this world."

"Look," Hito said then took a big breath, " I am sorry that we kept arguing like that, but it is hard for me to trust her with knowing so little."

"Well it isn't her fault," I said, "She know no more then we do."

"How do you know?" Said Hito.

It was then I explained what happened, with Kayaba showing up and what he said to me. Strea was shocked about this and looked down at her feet, not saying anything for quite a while afterwards. We all walked back into the Inn and relaxed for a bit. I looked through my inventory out of boredom when I noticed a new item, the Hand Mirror.

"Huh, what's this?" I said, not realizing I spoke aloud

"What's what?" Said Hito curious. I then selected the item intent on showing him in case he knew and it appeared in my hand and I looked into it. "Oh that's...!"

But before he finished there was a flash of white, when it faded the face in the mirror was different. It had black hair, blue eyes, and no facial hair. I knew that my avatar in the game had green eyes and brown hair, and I added a small beard, then I realized, I was looking at my actual face, from the real world. My blue shirt and black pants remained the same, but I was shorter now, just a bit yet noticeable.

"Huh," Hito said, "So that's you real appearance huh?"

"What?!" I said still in shock about this, "How did..."

"It happened to all of us on the first day," Said Hito, "Kayaba gave us all that item and we all turned to what we looked like in real life."

"Wait," I said honestly confused, "You mean everybody in this world looks exactly like they do in real life?"

"That's right," Said Hito.

I then looked at Strea, who seemed just as surprised,but still not willing to talk. I couldn't help but wonder what was going on, and I intended to find out next time I met Kayaba. It would probably be good for all of us to figure it out. Then I thought about that being her real life appearance too, made me a bit more nervous to talk with her then before. I just hoped I could get this guild functioning soon, otherwise we might not be able to prove ourselves.


	6. Friendship Sprouts

So much going on and I cannot make any sense of it. Kayaba knows something about Strea, even if she refuses to tell us. The lack of an icon is definitely more then she is claiming it to be. I know she doesn't know much about herself but she knows SOMETHING. I didn't want to pry on her, but I wanted to know, and maybe I can help her or something, whatever it is it can't be that bad, heck even if she was the man's daughter I would still be her friend. But she looks so sad and hasn't talked in a while, she just fought monsters with us, followed orders and went to bed in the hotel we chose to stay at. It lasted for a couple weeks even! All until today. We had just finished off a few monsters in the fields of floor 48, just 2 floors below the front lines.

"Well that's the last of the monsters spawning here for now," Said Hito killing the last giant bug.

"Awesome, I said, "That Lisbeth girl's weapons are doing well for us, glad we cam up to this floor."

"Yeah," Hito said laughing, "Strea you really missed out on a great deal. So what do you think my chances are with that cute blacksmith?"

"About as high as the chance you'll date me," I said jokingly.

"Never knew you were in love with me, Ansei," Hito joked back, walked right into that one.

"Well lets just decide out next destination," I said, ending that conversation before I embarrass myself more.

"Yeah," Hito said scratching the back of his head, "Hey Strea you got any ideas or are you just gonna keep giving us the silent treatment for no reason?"

Strea remained quiet as usual, just silently following close behind us as we head back to the city. Hito asking her that knowing she won't answer seems a bit rude from my point of view though. Maybe I should talk with him about it.

"Starting city," Strea said

Hito and I looked over at her shocked. She actually spoke to us for the first time in weeks, and on top of that she wants to go all the way down to the first floor? What is down there she is interested in?

"St-Strea," I said trying to get a grip, "Why do you speak up NOW of all times?"

Strea looked down as though she didn't wish to talk about it.

"Come on Strea speak up already," Hito said trying not to yell at her, "You spoke up already no need to keep being quiet."

"I-I don't remember anything OK!" She yelled as she blushed, obviously embarrassed by that fact, "I cannot remember a damn thing about this world except for one thing in Starting City, so can you PLEASE take me there?"

Hito and I looked at each other, we were both shocked by this, she was quiet all this time out of embarrassment? That is not a very common thing to dwell on for 2 freaking weeks. Also, her memory being gone, seems like an issue you might want to bring up to the people you're traveling with. I was curious, but Hito was pissed off.

"YOU MEAN TO TELL ME YOU STAYED QUIET THIS LONG OVER SOMETHING STUPID LIKE THAT!" He yelled at the top of his lungs.

"Well SOOORRY for keeping an issue like that private," She responded

"You think this DESERVES to be kept secret?!" Hito said his face red with anger

"Yes I did thank you very much." Said Strea

"Well then why stay COMPLETELY quiet instead of avoiding the topic?" Hito asked

"Yeah easier said then done," Strea said, "After that Kayaba guy showed up and said something about me I KNOW that if I speak you guys will try to divert it to prying into what the hell he was talking about. Especially YOU Hito. I just wanted to avoid it altogether but now you guys know, so you HAPPY now?"

I walked over to Strea who looked on the verge of tears.

"Strea," I said trying to calm her down, "I think we need to open up to one another more. We are a team after all, and if we knew about this issue beforehand we would have helped you sooner. We will warp to the Starting City and you lead us to what you do remember and help you recollect as much as we can."

"Ansei...Hito..." She said looking down at her feet, "Your really willing to help me?"

"Of course we do," Hito said, surprisingly calm, "After all you're a guild mate of ours, one of the closest things to family available for a lot of people in this death game."

"Yeah," I continued, "So how we head back, restock our food, then warp on down there, OK?"

"Alright...and...thanks..." Strea said as she ran off ahead

"Hey you mind if we stop by that blacksmith girl's place again?" Hito asked, "Maybe at that restaurant with the cute waitresses?"

"Ge'ez man," I said, "So far you've flirted with every girl but Strea."

"Well of course," Hito said, "After all can't try to steal the one you love right?"

I blushed crimson and stayed quiet, only hearing his laughter. Can't believe he got me again.


	7. Hidden Dungeon

So we gathered out supplies and prepared to go to the first floor. We would have just gone with lower level equipment, but Strea insisted we be in top form, saying we would get why when we see it, whatever IT is. Me and Hito decided to humor her and be in our top equipment, maybe the army won't mess with us while we are down there then. wee took out our teleport crystals and warped to the city of beginnings. It has been a long time since I was here, even longer for Hito, I am not sure about Strea though.

"This way guys," She said leading us to Black Iron Palace. I was just hoping the Army wouldn't recognize me or attack me like they did when I first arrived in this game. We we entered I saw the huge black block everybody knew as the Monument of life, which had the name of all the players who were in this game. I went up to it and started reading through the names, searching for my brother's. I found it eventually, Heisei, the guy took my idea for my name's theme, thought it would be clever if our names were similar so people could tell we were brothers. Looking at this, I saw his name crossed out, like everybody else who died so far. Looking at this made me realize this is the closest thing to a grave of him I have visited since that day, didn't even get to see his funeral, made my mom afraid that she would lose me the same way, coming here might have been a mistake. before I knew it there was a hand on my shoulder.

"There there man," Hito told me, " Let it all out"

It was then I finally realized I was crying, actually crying. I felt like such a baby, but Hito understood all to well, he must have lost friends in this game too, maybe even family too. Strea was patiently waiting, though she didn't know the details she must have caught on I lost somebody close to me. So I finally fell to my knees, I wished I had something to place here so I could treat it like an actual grave. I must look pathetic right now. Finally I wiped away my tears and stood up, I looked over at Hito and saw it looked like he cried a bit too, though he was trying to hide it. Then I looked over at Strea, and I realized that I must have wasted her time.

"S-Sorry Strea," I said wiping one last tear, "It's just that..."

"I know," said Strea, " I kinda saw this coming, I may not remember much, but I remember this castle well, as well as something else. Go ahead and take your time guys, it must be pretty emotional for you both."

"Hehehe, I'm ready for some action," Hito said trying to sound tough, "Sure I lost a few friends here, but if I just sat here crying their ghosts would find a way to haunt me just to make fun of me."

"And I think I'm done crying," I said, "After all we did come here on your request, might as well see what your looking for."

Strea nodded and lead the way to what looked like an ordinary wall behind the castle. Hito and I looked around wondering if something would show up, but then Strea touched the wall and a doorway faded into vision. I stared at is in shock, wondering how she did that.

"Come on," Strea said, "This place isn't supposed to be opened yet so we better hurry on down before that Kayaba guy sees."

Hito and I ran in to keep up with Strea, all the monsters inside seemed frozen in time, probably a result of the place opening early, so Hito started grinding on the monsters to get some free levels, only for Strea to stop him.

"We aren't supposed to be in here," Strea said, "Don't alert anybody to us coming here like that."

"Fine Fine," Hito said disappointingly.

As we traveled deeper we saw the boss of this dungeon frozen as well, it was a large grim reaper looking creature. We saw a safe zone behind it and went in.

"Here we are," Stea said approaching a large black block, "This is the place I remember."

I looked around and it looked completely white in here except for the box. I walked around the room looking for anything else of interest but nothing was around. Strea went over to the box ans touched it, it glowed and what looked like a keyboard appeared, but suddenly she was launched away from the machine.

"STREA!" I yelled out as I ran to her, she was out cold. Hito went over to the box and tried pressing a few keys seeming to tye something before he was launched back, the moron. Luckily he was still awake.

"What were you THINKING!" I yelled

"I was wondering what that was and I think my guess was right on the money. He pointed at the area behind the box, what looked like a screen appeared with the names of a bunch of players scrolling, then the name of a monster on the other side. It was all the players who were killed, and by what.

"Looks like a database of the whole game," Hito said, "I typed in a random thing though but this showed up."

I wasn't listening, I was busy keeping my eyes on the screen, then I saw a few that said Player followed by a name.

"Looks like the players who were killed by other players are coming up." Hito said.

"Yeah, hard to believe that happens though," I said, "Why do you think that ha..."

I stopped myself, as I was staring in shock, I almost dropped Strea to the floor, I was just staring as quite a few names scrolled by all killed by the same thing, Player Heisei. 

* * *

**A/N: Hey I hope you guys are enjoying the story so far, can you guys give me an honest opinion as to how it is as of now? Also what do you guys think I should do for the next chapter? A flashback to his real life better explaining who is brother was in the Real World, or just continue with the story and save that for later? If you could give me your thoughts I would really appreciate it as long as it isn't bashing just for the sake of bashing.  
Thank you for reading my fanfic. :D**


	8. So Many Questions

**A/N: Hi sorry about the wait I got stuck with Writers Block. But I hope you like this chapter and that it was worth the wait. Please tell me your honest thoughts on this story if you are able. Also can the guy who sent me that OC through review please PM me so we can talk properly, also if anybody else has OCs they want in this please send them to me through PM. Thank you and have a nice day.**

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Just staring at the screen in shock, I walked over to the machine just to scroll back up to confirm for myself. I put my hands on that keyboard and pressed where the up arrow key is. It was undeniable, my brother had killed 8 players in this game. Why, what did he gain out of it, was it self defense? None of the other names appeared as I looked through the list of PKers.

"How are you doing that?" Said Hito

I didn't respond, I scrolled down a bit and saw my brother was killed himself, by a player named Kirito. I slammed my fist on the box in a rage. I wanted to meet this player, maybe he could help me sort out the pieces, and I could probably get revenge as well. Whoever this player is has to know something right, the player only killed 2 players, both were responsible for many deaths according to the list, but I just was not sure what was going on. I set my sights on finding Kirito, making him talk, and then maybe avenge my brother's death. I could not accept him as a murderer, he would always help me when I needed help in school, whether it was bullies, homework, studying, or even a crush. He would probably risk his life for me if necessary. How could a man so kind to me go this far. I went to type some more filled with confusion, anger, and sadness all at once when Hito pulled me away from the console.

"Ansei, calm down," He said

"Calm down?!" I said, " How the HELL can I calm down in a situation like this!"

"Look Ansei," Hito said in a serious tone, " I know this was unexpected and I cannot imagine how you feel right now, but right now something is wrong with Strea. You need to focus, and we will help you sort all this out once we can."

I looked down. I felt like an ass right now, snapping at Hito like that, dropping Strea while she was defenseless, I wiped away my tears and walked over to Strea, her HP was still full, so I had no idea what was going on. I picked her up and started to leave the dungeon, but up ahead we heard something, sounded like monsters getting destroyed. Hito and I ran up ahead to see a girl, about 14 by the looks, of it beating up the frozen frogs. He has blonde hair and green eyes, and she was fighting only using her fists and feet. First time I saw somebody like that in SAO.

"Oh hi there, you found this place too?" The mystery girl said

I said nothing, just went to walk right by her.

"Hey is she ok?" the girl said, referring to Strea

'I don't know," I said as I continued on my way

"Don't worry to much about him, he's been through a lot right now" Hito said

"Oh I see," The girl said, "So are there enemies that actually MOVE down there?"

"No," Hito said, " And maybe you shouldn't be doing that."

"Why not," The girl said, but as soon as she did the ground rumbled. I saw up ahead that the entrance began to close. Kayaba found us out.

"Guy!" I yelled at the top of my lungs, "Lets hurry and get out of here before we are trapped!"

Hto and the girl both started running and easily past me as I was weighted down holding Strea. When Hito got out I used all in my power to toss her to him, to at least make sure she got out of here. I started rushing to the closing door and I jumped through barely making it. after the door closed it turned back into a regular cliff-side.

"Phew, We made it," Said Hito

"Yeah," I said without looking at anybody, "I'm glad none of you are trapped in there"

"Alright man, you mind answering me a few questions?" Hito asked me

"L-later," I said, "I-I need some time alone."

I then walked away from everybody else there, all I felt was anger at my brother, anger at this Kirito guy, but more so anger at myself. I was such a jerk back there, and they only wished to help me. I just need a bit to collect my thoughts and calm down, before I hurt anybody. It was at that moment everything froze again, I knew what was coming and I did NOT need this right now.

"Hello again," Said Kayaba, "I see you found that secret dungeon a bit early."

"Go away Kayaba," I said, "Just go die in a pit or something."

"I would kill you right now if not for the suspicion that would arise." Kayaba said calmly

"Kayaba I am growing sick of your games," I said "Tell me whatever riddle-filled monologue your here for then leave me be"

"I guess I'll get to the point," Kayaba said much to my relief, "Since you entered the game late it seems that Cardinal doesn't hold as much a bind on you."

Wha-What do you mean?" I asked nervously

"It means that may things other players cannot do, you can." Kayaba said, "If only you were a swordsman, then there is a chance you'd be the hero."

"What the hell are you talking about?!" I yelled

"Oh I can't tell you," Kayaba said, "No spoilers."

"Damn you, your making me so angry," I said, "And I was angry enough before!"

I then ran over and stabbed my spear into his chest, but of course it glanced off and the sign immortal object appeared.

"No need to worry," Kayaba said, "If your the hero you'll face me another time."

Kayaba then vanished and everything continued to move. I punched the ground with all the force I could muster. I was sick of this game, especially Kayaba. But I knew there was no way out other then clearing the game. The only thing I can do right now is find that Kirito guy and get some answers. But I had other issues to attend to right now.

"Ansei!"

I looked behind me to see Hito running over to me

"There you are," Hito said, "Come on back, quickly."

"What is it?" I said curiously, but still in a bad mood

"Strea is waking up!" He said, obviously thinking that would cheer me up, and it did a bit.

I walked back over to see the mystery girl helping Strea to her feet.

"Thanks Nina," Strea said, the girl's eyes grew wide

"H-How did you know my name?" She asked

"I...I don't know actually, hehehe," Strea said, looking much happier then usual. She seemed very different from before though.

"Well...whatever, yes I am Nina," the girl said, "Who are you guys?"

We all introduced ourselves then sat down and ate together. Hito suggested we invite Nina into the guild but I didn't know quite yet if we should. So I decided to give her a test first.


	9. Nina's Test

**A/N: Hey, for those who read this far please do me a favor and tell me if I should do this or not. I am thinking about rebooting this fanfic, going back and fixing the mistakes I made before, including a kinda rushed beginning, improving the character introductions, and doing a better job proofreading and editing, or do you think I should just focus on doing better from here on out and finish this story first? I would appreciate your opinions, no matter how blunt.  
**

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So after being piled on by so much stuff at once, I just wanted a break, but there was still the issue of this Nina girl. Hito thinks we should recruit her, but I am not so sure. After all Fist Fighting is an interesting choice, but was it a wise one for a game like this? So I decided to walk up to her and try getting to know her a bit.

"So Nina right?" I asked, "Tell me why were you in that dungeon just now?"

"W-Well," Nina started, "I was only level one...and I barely got the hang of how this world works. And I saw these high level creatures inside, just frozen in place. So I started grinding on them, already got up to level 34"

Only 34? The rest of us were in the high fifties and low sixties, me being 62, she would have a long way to go to catch up with us. Also it sounds like she just spent all this time in the town of beginnings, just going and grabbing the easy kills, and barely having the hang of the game? This seemed like an unwise choice for a party member, for now at least, but before I could say anything else, Hito had to join in.

"Hey Nina, what would you think about Joining our guild?" He asked in a flash. I can tell now he is only interested in flirting, and I just HOPE he is under the age of 18.

"Huh, what?" Nina asked in surprise

"He's offering you a spot in our guild..." I said, not wanting to be rude to her or Hito.

"Oh...well...I-I would love to join your guild!" She said without even thinking about it.

"Well...we are almost double your level," I said, "So if you want to join we'll have to help you train up."

"Oh thank you!" She said, and I was about to say we might not be able to do that and turn her down gently, but now how can I do it. Curse my kind heart, but I might as well give her a test at least like I was going to.

"OK well if we're gonna train you, you need to know how to avoid hits until your a high enough level to fight with us," I said, "Though do you want to grab a weapon or something."

"I trained in Karate, so I am more used to my fists." She responded.

"OK well, how about we have a duel," I decided, "Your only goal is to dodge my spear till the duel is over, it is set to one hit so we'll know if I got you or not. If you make it to the end you can join us."

"Understood," She said, then we set up the duel. It was a simple mission, just dodge, i kinda hoped she could do it, but was kinda conflicted on it. She seems innocent enough and wants to get stronger, so maybe it wouldn't be so bad. Nina accepted the dual request and we got ready, I took out my spear and got into a fighting stance. Nina took a stance I recognized a bit, since she trained in Karate it made sense that she would be ready for something like this. The countdown ended and I started jabbing forward, she moves quickly to the side at the last minute. But then, unexpectedly, she came in with a right hook to the side of my head. I told her just to dodge, and here I thought that my sister back home hit hard. The duel ended and Nina put her hand out to help me to my feet.

"I thought I said to dodge till time was up," I said, slightly irritated

"No, you said dodge till the duel was over," Nina said like a smart ass, "I just ended the duel."

"Well...I guess you have a point. That was a good counter." I said, "Not what I expected but a deal's a deal."

"Yeah, you gonna be alright?" She said.

"Yeah yeah," I said, "You don't feel pain in this world, but you took a pretty big chunk of my HP out for somebody at your level."

"Alright Nina!" Hito said, "That was awesome."

I just sighed and opened up my menu. I sent Nina a request to join our guild and she accepted it. We only need one more person. I wonder what kind a person it will be, I guess we'll have to wait.

"Congratulations!" Strea said, shaking Nina's hands, "You'll make an awesome member of our guild."

"You a lot more talkative all the sudden," I pointed out, "And a lot happier too."

"Am I?" Strea said, "Weird."

"So Ansei," Hito said, "Now that that's out of the way, can you answer my question now?"

"Fine," I sighed, "What is it you want to ask me?"

"How the hell did you operate that computer back there without being blown back?" Hito asked

I just paused right there, I wasn't thinking back there I just wanted to try showing myself that it wasn't true what my brother did. I mean I was pretty emotional at the time and was barely thinking straight, how _did_ I do it? Then I remember what Kayaba told me just a bit ago, about me being aloud to do more since I came in late in the game, and something about a cardinal?

"Maybe cause I am a late player?" I said, "Right now I have no other ideas other then that."

"Huh," Hito said disappointed, "Well hopefully we can figure everything out as we go on."

"And I will help you," Strea said, "Just like you said you would help me."

"I am confused," Nina said, "But if you want I can help too."

I smiled, I was glad that I had Hito and Strea as guild mates, and now Nina as well, who didn't even question the fact I said I was a late player. Maybe things were going to improve from here on out.


End file.
